


Waterway

by ToFightOrToFlee



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Caliburn doesn't really understand, Gen, He tries tho, Knave the Hedgehog, Sonic and the Black Knight, chili dogs are eaten, don't read this please, hydrophobia, i have no clue what i'm doing, i really like Sonic and Caliburn's relationship, monsters are mentioned, oranges are tragically and unfairly attacked, so if that triggers you, there aren't enough fics for this, there's a low-detail near-drowning experience, there's water and Sonic in here so, uh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 15:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12560912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToFightOrToFlee/pseuds/ToFightOrToFlee
Summary: Getting into the castle isn't going to be easy. Especially when it seems the only possible way in is through the waterways beneath the castle. Caliburn doesn't see a problem. After all, it's only a bit of water. Sonic, however, sees a massive problem that Caliburn just doesn't get.





	Waterway

**Author's Note:**

> not quite sure where this came from. also, i hope you aren't expecting quality because quality isn't in this fic.

Sonic wasn’t even breathing hard as he cut through his twenty-third enemy in a row, a wide grin on his face. People that had been previously cowering in fear cheered loudly, throwing their fists into the air. Sonic rubbed a finger under his nose and chuckled, soaking in the positive energy like a sponge.

“This is easy!” he crowed. “These things go down in one hit!”

“Fool! Do not get cocky!” Caliburn said sharply, unwilling to admit that he was impressed by how fast Sonic picked up on swordsmanship. “Just because you have yet to be hit does not mean you will not soon. There are even more enemies inside the castle.”

“And I’ll beat ‘em!” Sonic haphazardly waved Caliburn around, taking out a nearby bucket of oranges. The sword grumbled as his sharp edge was covered in sticky orange juice. “I mean, you’re a sacred sword, right? With my speed and your, uh, sacredness, we can win!” Caliburn scoffed but said nothing more as Sonic dashed for the castle, occasionally stopping to give rings to the townspeople in exchange for whatever they had on hand. One random person even gave him a chili dog, and Caliburn watched, bewildered, as Sonic ate the entire thing in two ravenous bites.

“Your appetite is monstrous,” he muttered once the townsperson was out of range. Sonic laughed and licked the chili off of his fingers, choosing to not reply. Somehow, that was more cheeky than a verbal reply would have been. Caliburn sighed and looked forward, narrowing his eyes at the closed gates. He had expected them to be that way, but it was still disappointing.

“The gates are closed. We need to find another way in,” he said. Sonic hummed and looked up at the ominous stone wall, wondering if he could use Caliburn to climb up. Then he saw the multitude of guards looming on top of the wall and changed his mind. 

“This way.” Caliburn tilted suddenly to the left. Sonic obeyed, trotting off in the direction Caliburn pointed him. They wandered through a few dark alleyways and defeated a dozen or so monsters before they dropped down beneath the stone street into what looked like a sewer. The walls were made of stone that was quick to crumble. Sonic dug Caliburn into the wall to slow his descent and stopped a measly foot above rushing water, a grate just beneath them admitting the liquid into the area. Caliburn felt Sonic’s other hand come up to clutch at his hilt almost desperately.

“What’s wrong?” He looked down at Sonic’s expression, confused. The hedgehog’s eyes were impossibly wide as he gazed down at the water. He pulled his legs up so the spray of the liquid hitting the eroded walls didn’t dampen his shoes, hanging from the blade like an odd decoration.

“You didn’t tell me there was going to be w-water.” Sonic was uncharacteristically nervous and Caliburn blinked in surprise. He looked at the river only a few feet deep. It wasn’t as bad as Sonic’s tone implied. Then he factored in Sonic’s diminutive height and reconsidered.

“I was under the impression that it would be shallow during the spring,” he mused. “No matter. I am sure you can wade through it.” Sonic’s breathing simply quickened and he tightened his grip, eyes never leaving the stream.

“I changed my mind. I’ll take my chances with the gate, thanks.” Caliburn frowned and shook himself a little, making Sonic yelp when the soles of his shoes were suddenly dunked. He scrambled to hold himself up higher, nearly cutting his hand open on Caliburn’s edge.

“Fool! That would be much too reckless! Despite my being a sacred sword, we stand no chance against the guards on the walls. They could simply shoot us down as we climb. And the gate can only be opened from the inside. It would be much easier to break in through the waterways, where there is nothing but water to slow us down.”

“Yeah. Easier.” Sonic’s voice trembled. He made no move to drop down in the water, but he also didn’t start climbing to solid ground. He just dangled there, staring at the water and clinging to Caliburn like the sword was the only thing keeping him from falling into oblivion.

As Caliburn closely studied Sonic’s face, he felt that might have been the case in Sonic’s eyes. The raw terror the hedgehog displayed when eyeing the flowing liquid could only be made by someone who felt like they were face to face with death. Even if it was only two feet of water, it moved swiftly enough to knock someone off their feet if they weren’t prepared. Enemies could probably easily fish them out and make quick work of them.

Then Caliburn realized the true problem when Sonic flinched at a couple droplets splashing against his leg. Sonic wasn’t afraid that they’d get caught running through the waterways. He was afraid of the  _ water _ . And from the looks of it, it wasn’t just a little fear he could simply get over with some friendly encouragement. No, it was the kind of fear that would make him freeze up, panic, and run as fast as he could away from the source. Caliburn didn’t know what caused Sonic’s irrational fear of water, but he didn’t have time to find out. They needed to get moving.

“It is but a stream,” he said, voice low and urgent. “We must get through it to save the world.” He was making the situation a bit more dramatic than it really was at the moment, but anything less probably wouldn’t work considering Sonic's stubborn streak. The hedgehog glanced up as if just remembering the sword existed.

“I know.” He didn’t sound like he knew if the way his voice wavered was anything to go by.

“It cannot do anything but flow.” Caliburn tried to sound reasonable and hoped it was enough. “If you can conquer that, you will be fine.”

“Yeah, I hear you.” Still, Sonic didn’t pull away from the wall so he could drop into the water. The sacred sword inwardly sighed. He had no clue how to deal with a teenager, much less one that was as headstrong and unpredictable as Sonic was. In fact, he hadn’t even been aware creatures like Sonic existed until he was pulled from the stone. Then again, he had been in that stone for a long time. The world had changed much since he had been forged.

“This is the only way,” he reasoned. “I sincerely doubt there are many monsters down here, and the waterways most likely lead to nearly everywhere in the castle. It is our best option. Stop this unreasonable foolishness.” Sonic hesitated. He slowly stretched out a foot and touched the surface of the water, creating a break in the flow. Drops splashed up and soaked his sock. He shivered but didn’t recoil.

“Do we really have no other choice?” he whispered. “It’s the only way to get to Arthur?” Caliburn would have patted the hedgehog on the shoulder if he could, but he didn’t exactly possess hands.

“There is no other option that could possibly work,” he replied gravely. Sonic sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself before he blinked his eyes open, this time filled with determination. He wrenched Caliburn out of the wall with a grunt, twisting so he wouldn’t land on his back. They dropped unceremoniously into the water, creating quite a large splash as Sonic hit feet first.

The water was anything but unexpected, but Sonic wasn’t quite prepared for it. It swept them away instantly, carrying them along like ragdolls. Sonic scrambled to get a foothold, but his feet slipped on the slick stone floor of the waterway and he fell back instead. His head was instantly engulfed with an alarmed cry. Caliburn felt himself get waved around wildly, occasionally striking a wall or scraping the floor as Sonic tried to reach the surface again. Any resolve Sonic had crumbled as the water lashed against his face. 

“Fool! Calm down!” the sacred sword barked, voice distorted as he was submerged. He went unheard and Sonic continued to flail with his eyes tightly shut, flipping back over and over again. Caliburn could have sworn he saw the hedgehog hit the floor at least twelve times, but he never once breached the surface. It was agonizing to watch and was surely even worse to experience. Caliburn was suddenly glad that he didn’t need to breathe.

The ground rose sharply at some point, and without a speck of dignity, Sonic crashed face first into it. His grip on Caliburn slackened as the water continued to push and pull, working with his desperate movements and shoving him fully onto the higher ground. He rolled on his side for a few feet and let go of Caliburn before he fell on top of the blade. The sacred sword sunk to the ground with a huff. The water was about six inches deep and there wasn’t enough to continue tossing the two around, so, for the time being, they were stable. 

Sonic shakily got to his hands and knees, his eyes still squeezed shut as he coughed up large amounts of water. The cold liquid steadily dripped from his quills and soaked his gloves and shoes, making them shine wetly under the light of an oddly placed torch. He sat there and trembled for a long moment before he opened an eye, feeling around for Caliburn. He fished the blade out of the water and slowly got his feet under him, wobbling unsteadily but managing.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he rasped with a forced smile, shaking his head rapidly. Drops flung from his head and spattered against the walls, nearly extinguishing the torch. “The water went over my head and I kinda panicked. Didn’t mean to drop you.” 

Caliburn thoughtfully chewed on his words. He could hardly say he understood what Sonic had gone through. He didn’t breathe, and that had been his first time underwater. He didn’t know what drowning felt like, but he assumed it was extremely unpleasant. He wasn’t quite sure what made Sonic so adverse to water, but experiencing the hedgehog interacting with it firsthand, he could see the fear was justified. 

“I was not quite aware of the extent of your fear for water,” he said carefully. “If I had known what would happen, I would have allowed you to attempt storming the gate instead of taking our chances here.” He met Sonic’s eyes and put as much sincerity as he could in his rather limited features. “I apologize.” Sonic squinted and tilted his head, looking impossibly unruffled even though he was still soaked.

“Did I pull the wrong sword out of the water? There’s no way that giant toothpick would apologize to me.” He grinned. “After all, I’m Knave the Hedgehog, according to him.”

“Of course you are still a knave,” Caliburn snapped. “Quit fooling around! We may be stable now, but that is not going to last. Beyond this is an entire maze of water just as deep as this, if not deeper. There is no possible way to go back against the current and we cannot stand around here for eternity. The only way we can go now is forward, no matter if we like it or not.” 

Sonic’s already small smile faded completely. He looked at his feet and shifted them in the water, watching the liquid adjust itself to continue flowing around his ankles. It looked harmless now that it was shallow enough to see the bottom.

“The only way now is forward, huh?” he reiterated. “Guess that’s the way we’ll go, then. For the kingdom, right?” Caliburn opened his mouth as if to object but then shut it again, refusing to go against his own words. He was silent as Sonic hesitantly crept towards the edge of the platform, looking ahead. The water looked much more threatening there, with its choppy waves and dangerous speed. Sonic took a breath, held Caliburn tighter, and jumped.

Caliburn had never been more certain that he chose the right person to pull him from the stone, even as the hedgehog sputtered and flailed like a lunatic.

**Author's Note:**

> it took me way too long to figure out where to end it. this was the best spot, in my opinion. unfortunately, nobody asked for my opinion.  
> hrm.


End file.
